Rain on the big slide

[dshogman]

And that's on the slide itself, not the slide topper. Heavy rain the other night while in Boerne, TX and it must have come in sideways at some time. So when I brought the slide in yesterday morning, and started down the road, the water came down behind me and spread all over the floor.
Has anyone figured out a way to keep this from happening? Or is there supposed to be a scraper gasket on top(under the slide topper) to remove the water as the slide is moved in - as there are on the sides?
BTW, didn't happen on the bedroom slides.
Thanks for any and all information you folks might have.

[dshogman]

And that's on the slide itself, not the slide topper. Heavy rain the other night while in Boerne, TX and it must have come in sideways at some time. So when I brought the slide in yesterday morning, and started down the road, the water came down behind me and spread all over the floor.
Has anyone figured out a way to keep this from happening? Or is there supposed to be a scraper gasket on top(under the slide topper) to remove the water as the slide is moved in - as there are on the sides?
BTW, didn't happen on the bedroom slides.
Thanks for any and all information you folks might have.

[dgerstel]

I have found, on my 2002 and 2007, that after any long or heavy rain a puddle forms on the middle of the kitchen slide topper. This causes the edges of the topper to slope toward the puddle. When the water finally starts to overflow, instead of just draining off like on the rear slides, which are shorter and staying flat, the water runs down the underside of the topper onto the top of the slide out. I don't think that there is any way that a top seal can prevent some water form getting in at this point. This is the only way I have ever had any water get onto the top of the slide. If you look at how your kitchen topper drains you will see what I am talking about. After having water in the coach a few times I have learned to always use the jacks to raise one end of the coach. I do this just enough so that the "out of level" light comes on for one end of the coach. This keeps the puddle from forming and the topper drains properly.

Dale

[Barbaraok]

If we are in a heavy rain, we go out when it stops and clean off the slide topper (yup, up on the ladder we go) so that it is taut again. This lessens the amount that accumulates. I also bring the slide in a little at a time so that most of the water is dumped (unfortunately occasionally on my DH if I haven't checked to see where he is ) and doesn't come on in. We also keep the front down just a little bit to get better drainage.

[BillArf]

Though pricey, I opted to use an RV Airwedge on my large slide. Totally stopped water build-up on the slide topper even in the heaviest rains. Look
here.


.

[Barbaraok]

Bill,

Does one of the RV Airwedges do a good job on that long slide? I've thought about getting one but wasn't sure if one would be enough.

[BillArf]

One AirWedge does the job with my large slide(13').
I inflate it a bit and slide it in place. I push it arms length in. I then inflate. I inflate so the AirWedge is just firm and does not raise the slide topper material. By the way, I use a compressor to inflate. Would not consider blowing the thing up with lung power. I cringed at the $39+ for the AirWedge but it sure does the job well. Oh, it also pretty much eliminates altogether any slide topper flapping.

[Old Scout]

Perhaps the new toppers correct this problem but even a modest amount of rain will cause the older living room slide toppers to sag, causing even more rain to collect. Since the water-proof topper material is inserted into the end of the not so water-proof metal cover, water eventually builds up and leaks between the topper and the metal cover. A sloooooow slide retract and a slight tilt of the coach "limits" the amount of water on top of the slide.

[OldForester]

I have found in heavy rain, like one night in September in Georgetown, TX, to lower my left side jacks a bit for two reasons -- keep the water our of the living room slide and the bedroom slide. I have had more issues with the bedroom wardrobe slide than the living room slide. But lower the left side on my 36 MDDS when it's raining hard and keeping it that way, and then as Old Scout does, retract the slides very slooooowly so the water that's remaining can run off slowly does the trick. If I had a 40 footer with slides on both sides I would probably raise or lower the front instead of the side to accomplish the same purpose.

[Ted III]

I have found that if you run the slide in a little bit at a time every so often as it is raining it will kick the rain off before it becomes a large issue. Certainly changing the pitch of the motorhome so that the left side is down somewhat will also help to keep the rain off of the slide and the awning. I have also read that some folks use inflatabile pool toys between the slide and the awning. Can't hurt.

[gator67]

During a hard rain, we do get water on the top of the large slideout. I was told by several RV service people that the toppers are not really designed to keep water off the slideout. I suspected that water was dripping onto the slide between the metal cover and the roof so I ran a bead of lap sealant along there. Apparently the lap sealant doesn't flex well and the movement of the metal cover caused "cracks" in the lap sealant. After a rain, when water was runing off the roof, I saw water dripping onto the slide thru through the gaps in the lap sealant. When there is water on the slide and I need to bring it in, I run a squeegie along the slide to clear off the standing water. Although it would seem that the water would be squeegied off by the rubber at the top of the slide, I never understood where the water was supposed to go just before the slide was totally retracted. I found it easier to clean up after nature than try to fight her.